I bought an HR10-250 on ebay and activated it in October. No contract, no extension, nothing (though I have been a subscriber since 2000). The only issue they gave me was over the $4.99/mo fee because it had been previously listed as leased (even though it was purchased at Best Buy or somewhere like that by the original owner).

One call to a CSR (and then being bumped to their manager) got that wiped off and I am golden. They even list it as owned on my account now.

Then i sure got ripped when i got an owned unit from newegg and was told 2 year commitment.

Not really. That was a "retail" purchase and thus the price was subsidized by D*. That kind of subsidy requires a commitment. Different than a used one from Ebay, as in the above post.They'll also let you reactivate a card from an old receiver you have laying around ( I have a p4 in my old RCA that was deactivated 3 yrs ago.

Not really. That was a "retail" purchase and thus the price was subsidized by D*. That kind of subsidy requires a commitment. Different than a used one from Ebay, as in the above post.They'll also let you reactivate a card from an old receiver you have laying around ( I have a p4 in my old RCA that was deactivated 3 yrs ago.

even reactivate an old (football?) card lol

How would they know i got the receiver at newegg unless I told them? Which i probably did to get it listed as owned vs leased. Point being I guess you could have been dishonest and told them you got it from ebay to avoid commitment.

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How would they know i got the receiver at newegg unless I told them? Which i probably did to get it listed as owned vs leased. Point being I guess you could have been dishonest and told them you got it from ebay to avoid commitment.

They would know based on the number on the receiver you have to give them when you activate it.

The P4(intro 2002) and newer can be activated.
Coincidentaly, Verizon was on our street today making the final connections so Fios will be available in about 10 days.
So it looks like the D* issues are now a moot point.

Install scheduled for 12/26 - pretty fast if you ask me, though I may refuse the install and reschedule if they show up with the HD HR21 because I want to keep my OTA antenna (and need HR20 to do so). BTW, this is per DTV instructions. Apparently, they can't simply tell the installer what model to bring. I have to refuse install, request different HD HR20, and reschedule. Ridiculous IMHO.

Additional notes:

$299 IF I wanted to upgrade my second DirecTV NON HD HR10-250 to HD HR20. Passed on this for now as I do not have 2nd HD TV and apparently this deal is available anytime I want it.

OR

$99 IF I wanted to upgrade my second DirecTV NON HD HR10-250 to NON HD HR20. Not sure why I would want to do this?? I asked the CSR and she told me MPEG2 for standard channels would NOT be going away, and thus my older Tivo would continue to function for years to come. Is this accurate? I thought I read that ALL DTV programming would be moving to MPEG4?? Also, she said there is no firm date for the cutoff of HD channels via MPEG2.

Sadly, I still got stuck with the 2-year commitment :^( . However, I could NOT justify going back to Cox Communications for cable. Hope this info helps.

Very nice. I went from one CSR to another to a super, and finally ended up with:
$99 lease on an HR21 (I guess) and the install (S&H is on me)
$120 credit on the HD package

For my bounty, I spent 54 minutes in varying states of "on hold." As ammo, I repeated a few times that Dish was giving away the HD DVR and 6 months of free HD programming. And to think, I was this close to upgrading at Costco for $170.

I purchased a HR-21 from CostCo. Called D* and set up an appointment for the installers to come in and hook it up.

They put a new antenna, ran a few lines into a new splitter and hooked it all up to a HD TV. I signed the paper and said bye.

Later I looked on line at my bill and saw that they charged me $69.00 for the install. I emailed them and in a few day's a guy called and after explaining that there never was a discussion regarding the installation fee, they took off the $69.00.
Pretty nice I'd say!

depends what you mean by work. if by work you mean get all the channels, the answer is none.

there is only one Tivo with HD capabilities that works with Direct, the HR10-250. This model is old and not available from Direct anymore. It only works with the old satellites that are mpeg2. All the new HD channels from Direct are on new satellites that are mpeg4. This means you can't get them on the 250.

Quote:

Originally Posted by leftheaded

what are the current tivo models that work with directv? specifically, HD and DVR functionality

depends what you mean by work. if by work you mean get all the channels, the answer is none.

there is only one Tivo with HD capabilities that works with Direct, the HR10-250. This model is old and not available from Direct anymore. It only works with the old satellites that are mpeg2. All the new HD channels from Direct are on new satellites that are mpeg4. This means you can't get them on the 250.

I too would like some thoughts on upgrading to get the mpeg4
HD channels.
I really like my HR10-250 with 'real Tivo'.

I also have an R15 and am not impressed with the DVR program guide. I am thinking the HR-20 is very much the same in terms
of the on-screen guide, is that correct?

What are some of the more popular options for a DVR that can handle the new HD channels?

Will Tivo ever put out a new HD unit for DirecTV users? I have the DirecTV HD HR21 and it's just not as user-friendly. It also freezes up and restarts from time to time. I just really like Tivo's interface. I'm bummed that the new Tivo HD units are made only for cable.

Will Tivo ever put out a new HD unit for DirecTV users? I have the DirecTV HD HR21 and it's just not as user-friendly. It also freezes up and restarts from time to time. I just really like Tivo's interface. I'm bummed that the new Tivo HD units are made only for cable.

it's very doubtful...

the HR20 and HR21 have a lot of features that make them better than the current HD-Tivo...you get used to the interface after a while...the HD-Tivo is also prone to freezing and re-booting...just ask for a replacement if yours is giving you trouble...

the HR20 and HR21 have a lot of features that make them better than the current HD-Tivo...you get used to the interface after a while...the HD-Tivo is also prone to freezing and re-booting...just ask for a replacement if yours is giving you trouble...

welcome to the forum!

So DTV called me the other day and "offered me a deal". They would give me the new DTV HD DVR, upgrade my satelitte dish and give me access to HD channels (I don't get them currently) but they said I had to give them my HR10-250 in exchange. I did NOT get it from them, nor is it any kind of "lease" so I told them no thanks. They did say that if I didn't want to return my Tivo DVR then it would cost me $99 for the new HD DVR and $25 or 50 for the service call to install the new dish and what not.

Anyone having any luck getting the free upgrade without having to give up your old equipment?

I too would like some thoughts on upgrading to get the mpeg4
HD channels.
I really like my HR10-250 with 'real Tivo'.

Your post has me curious.

I switched to Verizon FIOS a YEAR ago.

Due to the mpeg4 switch, I figured that the HR 10-250 was worthless so it is simply sitting in my closet.
I have the original , 'virgin' disk in a static bag and the cloned 250 disk that is in the TIVO has all the cool stuff like TivoWEebPlus,etc.

Due to the mpeg4 switch, I figured that the HR 10-250 was worthless so it is simply sitting in my closet.
I have the original , 'virgin' disk in a static bag and the cloned 250 disk that is in the TIVO has all the cool stuff like TivoWEebPlus,etc.

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depends what you mean by work. if by work you mean get all the channels, the answer is none.

there is only one Tivo with HD capabilities that works with Direct, the HR10-250. This model is old and not available from Direct anymore. It only works with the old satellites that are mpeg2. All the new HD channels from Direct are on new satellites that are mpeg4. This means you can't get them on the 250.

When Dtv was introducing their new DVR's the HR10-250's could get some small number of HD channels, have those been taken away? And if you have an outdoor antenna you can pick up the local channels in HD. Please advise because my wife has Dtv's latest version of the DVR and it is very frustrating compared to her experience with the HR10-250's. Can we activate the HR10-250's that we own?????

1.) Yes, the limited HD channels broadcast in MPEG2 are still available for the time being. This is supposedly going away in the near future.

2.) Yes, you can still receive OTA HD via an antenna and record it with the HR10-250

3.) Yes, you should be able to re-activate your old HR10-250 and get the same functionality you've always had. That is, until they turn off the MPEG2 HD stations on DirecTV. In which case, you'll only get HD via OTA and an antenna.

Will Tivo ever put out a new HD unit for DirecTV users? I have the DirecTV HD HR21 and it's just not as user-friendly. It also freezes up and restarts from time to time. I just really like Tivo's interface. I'm bummed that the new Tivo HD units are made only for cable.

Has anyone got to keep their 250 and still get a good deal on a new HR 20?
Does anyone know how long the TiVo250 will continue to get get TiVo programing updates? I would like to keep my 250 to use for recording OTA programs but it would lose much of its appeal if the TiVo programing goes away.
Thanks for the help